Tiny bubbles, in my... PIZZA!!!

We finally got to try out the sourdough starter today. I used this recipe, adapted somewhat from the recipe here, baked in the oven at 525.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1/2 cup water

First I combined the dry ingredients in my mixer bowl, then poured in the wet ones, and mixed until they were throughly combined. I like thin pizzas, so I went for a sticky, wet dough.


I lightly oiled it and put the bowl in a warm (80-90 degree) oven for a couple of hours (about 2 1/2) to rise.

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the risen dough. But...


There's the pizza crust (which was cooked for about 6 minutes before adding sauce) with the beginning of the sauce. And then the final product...


Which my family proceeded to eat...


And the verdict?


Yeah, there were no leftovers, and everyone agreed it was the tastiest homemade pizza I had made. Sourdough crust won. Next? Sourdough BREAD.

Pretty healthy ranch

This is the recipe we use for ranch. I like using olive oil mayo (cause it's both good and olive oil is a nice, healthy fat). I really like greek yogurt in this more than regular, as it's more savory and tart, which I think is nice in a ranch.

2 cups plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (I have also used garlic chives to great result; ramps are fun too)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated parmessan

Combine, and allow to sit for at least a half an hour to let flavors combine. It'll keep for a few days, but because it's made with fresh veggies it won't last forever, unlike the crap in a bottle. But it tastes SO GOOD.

Tiny bubbles, in my bread

The sourdough experiment continues. This time it never collapsed into grey goo; at this point it smells somewhere between yeast and alcohol (and smells like I want to eat it), and tiny bubbles have formed.



I'm feeding the starter regular water now (but still whole wheat flour), and in a couple of days I'm going to switch to white flour. After two weeks, with luck, I should be able to make my first loaf. Yay!

Chawanmushi - Japanese savory egg custard

We had chawanmushi when we went to Charlie Trotters, and it was perhaps my favorite dish. I've since discovered it is really, really easy and incredibly delicious. The texture is custard-like, but it isn't a dessert at all; I've made it for both breakfast (in place of regular eggs) and for a part of dinner. It's easiest to make in a bamboo steamer (which are surprisingly inexpensive); but you can use any way that you use to steam veggies. I don't have dedicated chawanmushi cups, so I use glass custard cups, which I cover with foil. This recipe makes 6 servings. You can also add other ingredients, like cooked chicken, prawns, shitaake, or the traditional ginko nuts; this is just for a really simple version. We really like green onions, so I'm including it.

5 eggs
3 cups dashi (some people substitute chicken broth, but it's just not the same)
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the steamer over low/medium heat (important; if you cook it over a igh heat you'll end up with an unappetizing grey mess) Beat the eggs until they are combined. Add the rest of the ingredients except the onions, stir throughly, and strain thru a mesh strainer (some of the egg parts will be left behind in the strainer, this is ok.) Pour into cups, divide the onion into each, cover with foil, arrange in steamer.



Cook for about a half an hour, checking after about 20 minutes. It'll be done when it is lightly set, and the color changes to a pale yellow; a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean if it's done.


The completed chawanmushi is on the left.

Yakibuta - Japanese Pork Tenderloin

1 1/2-2 lbs pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon (I like Ceylon cinnamon, but regular will work)
1/2 teaspoon sanshou or sichuan peppercorns (not really anything like regular peppercorns - this is the hardest to replace)
1 1/2 teaspoons star anise (or regular ground anise)
1/2 cup soy sauce

If you have a whole tenderloin, cut it in half so it fits nicely in a medium pot. Combine all the ingredients in the pot (you could do it in a different bowl, but I like less dishes) and allow the meat to marinate for 1-4 hours.

Put a little bit of oil in a fry pan (I like cast iron) and put over a high heat. Take pork out of marinade and brown on all sides, then return to pot with all the marinade. Add just enough water to cover the meat, and bring pot to a boil.


Boil for 25-35 minutes, until meat reads 160 on an instant read thermometer (Mine took about 25 minutes, as it was a thin loin), and remove pork to a plate. Reduce remaining sauce down until slightly thick. Cut loin into quarter inch thick pieces, and spoon sauce over pieces on plate. Serve with white rice and whatever else (we had it with Chawanmushi and grilled asparagus)

Sourdough starter... again

So I'm trying to start some sourdough starter again. Last time I followed a recipe that gave me bubbles at first, then collapsed into a grey, unpleasant goo (twice). This time I'm following a recipe that many swear by, that I found on Breadtopia. I'm making it with whole wheat flour (the recipe also calls for pineapple juice and eventually purified water). I'll update every few days to show you how it's going.


The first ingredients ready to go!


The mixture all together, and ready to wait its two days before more flour and pineapple juice. Wish it luck!

Dashi

I love making Japanese food; and one of the ingredients used in almost all Japanese dishes (that aren't fried) is dashi. It's a subtle broth that adds umami to dishes. This is my recipe for a standard dashi; for a vegetarian version, omit the bonito flakes, and put about a cup of sliced fresh shitaake into the broth when you turn the heat on. You can also use shitaake in a non-vegetarian stock, for a stronger flavor (works well for a clear soup).

1 piece kombu (about 5" square, more or less; seaweed for making dashi stock; available online or at a good asian food grocer)
3 tablespoons bonito flakes
4 cups water
1 cup sliced shitaake (optional)
cheesecloth or very fine strainer

Put dried kombu and water into a pot. Allow kombu to soak for about half an hour. In the meantime, make a little pouch out of cheese cloth with the bonito inside (alternatively, you can put the bonito directly into the pan and strain with a fine mesh strainer afterwords) Turn heat to medium, and remove kombu when water just begins to simmer. Remove from heat, add bonito flakes and stir for one minute, then remove bonito pouch or strain thru fine sieve.

Grilled salmon in ponzu sauce with spicy mayo and avocado

Another recipe by popular request. This one is absurdly healthy, and really, really tasty!

Ponzu sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup yuzu juice (or lemon/lime mix, or if you're desperate, just lemon)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup or more dashi (in a pinch water will be ok, but not as good)

Combine all ingredients to make ponzu sauce.


Spicy mayo:
1/2 cup mayo
2 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce

Combine.


Grilled salmon in ponzu sauce with spicy mayo and avocado:

Avocado
2 salmon filets, halved
ponzu sauce
spicy mayo

Quarter the avocado (easiest to cut the avocado in half, remove the seed, then quartering it).

For the salmon, get the best wild caught salmon you can. Grill over a high heat, for three minutes per side; don't worry about the skin, it'll slide right off when the salmon is cooked (or just stick to the grill). Serve a fillet in ponzu sauce with a quarter of avocado (easiest to do in a bowl), with a dollop of spicy mayo on top. White rice as always makes a good side dish.

Katsu

Here's my recipe for yummy yummy katsu, in both gluten rich and gluten free forms!

2 lbs meat - chicken, pork, wild boar, elk. Should be boneless, sliced or pounded to about 1/4-1/3 inch thick (for instance, I like elk round steak pounded thin - flavorful and tender; for pork, thin boneless pork chops work well; for chicken boneless breasts pounded or sliced will work, either way is fairly tender; pre-tenderized wild boar cutlets are perfect)
2-3 eggs, beaten (start with two, use another if you need it)
1/2-1 cup flour OR cornstarch (for gluten free)
1 box panko OR 1 1/2 cups crushed rice chex (again, gluten free - there are gluten free panko too, but rice chex sounds like it would work really well)
3" deep frying pan with about a inch and a half of fry oil of your choice
1/4 cup soy sauce (this is approx)
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar (this is also approx)
1/2 head of cabbage, very thinly sliced

Take your meat and put it in a non-reactive bowl; add soy sauce and rice vinegar (in approximate proportions) until meat is fairly covered - stir meat around so marinade gets all over it. Refrigerate a half an hour or more, whatever you've got time for (I tend to like about 2 hours if possible, but I've done it in 20 minutes).

While its marinating, prepare a plate of flour or cornstarch for dredging, a bowl of beaten eggs, and a plate of panko/chex. Once the marination is done, take your meat pieces one by one. First, dredge in the flour (this prevents the juices from escaping and making your panko all soggy). Next, dip in egg. Finally, lay in panko one one side, then flip to the other until you've got a good coating all around. You can let the meat rest on the panko while your oil heats up; I usually end up doing my meat in about three batches, leaving the extra that doesn't fit on the panko plate in the marinade in the meantime.

Heat oil in frying pan. You want enough oil so that your meat can float freely, but not so much that it boils over the side of your pan. I have an electric stove and usually heat it at about medium-high; you can also do this in a deep fryer if you really want. Prepare a receiving plate with paper towels!

Once oil is heated to about 350-375 (honestly, I don't use a thermometer, I just use my judgement and am used to when its ready), lay the meat gently into the oil. You'll want a pair of tongs! Once all the pieces for your first batch (don't double layer!) are in, let it fry on one side for 2-3 minutes, then turn all pieces and allow to fry on the other (use your judgement for chicken vs elk; elk doesn't have to be as done as chicken). Once pieces are golden brown they should be done; pull them out and put them on the paper towel bedecked plate. Repeat for the rest of the meat.

Serve on a bed of finely chopped cabbage (this helps keep the katsu nice and crispy) with white rice. Have katsu sauce and soy sauce available.

Cooking, food, and love

Recently I watched one of my absolute favorite movies about food, Eat Drink Man Woman. (Others include Goodfellas, Godfather, Ratatouille, Babette's Feast, and Marie Antoinette.) One of the really beautiful things about Eat Drink Man Woman in particular is how the preparation of beautiful and delicious meals stands for love and caring.

Honestly, this movie is one of the things that made me want to be a good chef. When I became part of my family (and here I'm talking about my wonderful blended family of myself, my husband, and my four stepkids), I knew that I wanted to bring us all together in some way, and I somehow settled on cooking the best, healthiest, prettiest food I could.

I know I got this from my mother. She is widely acknowledged to be a fabulous cook -- even if she makes things that I am personally too picky to enjoy: casseroles, lasagna, meatloaf -- everyone who does enjoy those things tells me she's the best at it. I believe them because everything else she makes is wonderful, and I think that one of the reasons her cooking is so good is that she puts her love for those she's cooking for into the meal.

Cooking time is special, too, because you have to be totally present and concentrated on what you are doing. It's very nearly meditative, as when you are really in the zone, everything outside fades. It's at this point when your love comes in, as attention, as detail, as luck.

Our family is lucky in that we get to sit down to dinner at the table together every night, and usually at least once a week with a larger group of family and friends. This time is special as it allows us to talk over our days, discuss events, plans, tell jokes, and generally binds us together as a family. I am so glad to be able to offer my love through the food we all share.